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EUTHANASIA
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Reference
John Paul II,Encyclical
Evangelium Vitae, nn. 2, 64 & 65.
GRISEZ, Germain,The Way of
Life of Jesus Christ.
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Case
You may be surprised to receive this letterfrom the Netherlands. A law studenta realCatholicwho met you last year is helpingme write it. He will send it from his
computer,
andI
hope you will be able toanswer quickly.
My husband, Pieter, is sixty-three. Fivemonths ago he had a stroke. At first it didnot seem so bad, and we hoped he wouldeven be able to walk. But three weeks laterit happened again, and the damage wasmore severe. Pieter probably will never beable to walk and can use only his left hand.Still, after six more weeks I was able to bringhim home.
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Case
With a nurse who comes for the day,I
can care for Pieter. Though he cannot
speak well, he has some words. We
understand each other, and he prayswith me. But taking care of him is not
easy. He knows it, and during the first
month or so at home he was very
sad. He was sorry to be such aburden to me and wished he had died
in the hospital.
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Case
For more than a month now Pieterhas had a cough. Dr. Klaussen hascome every week, but the cough isnot getting better. He says it is not yet
pneumonia but probably will come tothat. Yesterday the doctor asked meto step outside, and he talked abouteuthanasia. He told me one need nolonger have any qualms about it, thatit is perfectly legal. He wants to do it,and seems to want my consent. Hesaid it is the right time for us to helpPieter be released from his uselessbody.
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Case
That upset me. This morning I
went to talk about it with the
pastoral worker who bringsCommunion. I thought she was a
real Catholic, because she does
everything just as it is in the
book, and earlier sheencouraged Pieter when he was
sad.
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Case
I told the pastoral workerI do not think it would beright for me to agree with the doctor to kill Pieter. Shesaid Dr. Klaussen is a good physician, and I shouldgo along with what he thinks best. I questioned that,and she pointed out that we Catholics believe life is
changed,not ended at death
,and that
St. Paul sayswe would rather be away from the body and at home
with the Lord (2 Cor 5.8). She also asked me:Would you want to be in your husbands condition?I said no. But ifI make Pieter go on as he is, shesaid,I will be making him be as I do not want to bemyself, and that would be against the Lords word,
Do to others . . .. I wondered if we should ask Pieterwhat he wants. She said no; that would upset himuselessly and put too much of a burden on him.
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Case
I am not sure what to say to
Dr. Klaussen next week when he
comes. I still do not want to have
him kill Pieter. But neither do I
want to go against the Lords
word.
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Questions:
If you were this woman, what
would you do? Why?
What ethical principles shouldyou consider in resolving this
case?
Was the pastoral worker correct?Why or why not?
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EUTHANASIA
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Etymology
Eu + thanatos
Good + death
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What is Death?
Death is the cessation of life.
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What is Death?
Death is the disappearance of the
life principle in man.
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And what is the life principle in man?
The soul.
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What is Death?
It is the separation of body and
soul.
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What is a Good Death?
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What is a good death?
Is a good death without pain and
discomfort or could it be with pain
and discomfort?
Is a good death without your
being conscious of it or is it death
with your being conscious of it?
Is a good time to die chosen only
by God or could it be chosen by
man himself?
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How does one die a good death?
First and foremost, when one dies
as a human being.
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How does one die a good death?
Not as an animal.
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What is a good death?
Is a good death without your
being conscious of it or is it death
with your being conscious of it?
A human being is a creature with
intellect and will. The best wayfor a human being to die is with
full command of intellect and will.
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What is a good death?
Is a good time to die chosen onlyby God or could it be chosen byman himself?
Since we did not give ourselvesour own life, it seems that we do
not have the authority to take itaway ourselves. The best way todie is when and how ourCreatorwants it.
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What is a good death?
Is a good death without pain anddiscomfort or could it be with painand discomfort?
It is always legitimate for man toreduce pain and discomfort. This
is especially true at the momentof death. However, it isinevitable for us to experiencepain and discomfort.
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What is a good death?
Is a good death without pain and
discomfort or could it be with pain
and discomfort?
Pain and discomfort also have their
positive purpose: they remind usthat we are not eternal; they
remind us that we belong to God.
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What is a good death?
With as much use of our mental
and spiritual faculties as
possible.
With a conscious effort to follow
the plan of ourCreator.
With courage to face it even if itmeans pain and discomfort.
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EUTHANASIA
What are its defining aims?
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Aims ofEuthanasia
To remove mans consciousness
at the moment of death.
To obliterate any pain ordiscomfort before and at the
moment of death.
To take charge of our own lifeand decide when we should die.
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Evangelium Vitae, n. 64
When the prevailing tendency is tovalue life only to the extent that itbrings pleasure and well-being,suffering seems like an unbearable
setback, something from which onemust be freed at all costs. Death isconsidered "senseless" if it suddenlyinterrupts a life still open to a future ofnew and interesting experiences. But
it becomes a "rightful liberation" oncelife is held to be no longer meaningfulbecause it is filled with pain andinexorably doomed to even greatersuffering.
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A disabled life
A disabled person can still love.
A disabled person can still be givenlove.
A disabled person becomes anoccasion for the practice of humansolidarity.
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A disabled life
Unfortunately, many times there
is a subliminal repugnance to
taking care of disabled person,
even of a person whom we love.
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EUTHANASIA
is the deliberate termination of a sick
persons life in order to avoid theburden of bodily pain and discomfort.
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Euthanasia
Deliberate = one consciously
chooses to end life.
Termination = the goal is thedefinitive end of life, not only a
secondary effect of a primary
curative action.
Avoid pain and discomfort = it is
a running away from this
situation.
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Situation in Todays World
Especially in developed countries, there isconstant progress of medicine and its evermore advanced techniques.
Life can now be sustained longer even insituations of extreme frailty. We canresuscitate patients who have undergonecollapse.
There are more sophisticated methods of
reducing or eliminating pain. End of life situations become a matter of
technique rather than human ethics.
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Evangelium Vitae, n. 64
The temptation grows to have
recourse to euthanasia, that is,to
take control of death and bring it
about before its time, "gently"
ending one's own life or the life of
others. In reality, what might
seem logical and humane, whenlooked at more closely is seen to
be senseless and inhumane.
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Evangelium Vitae, n. 64
Here we are faced with one of the morealarming symptoms of the "culture of death",which is advancing above all in prosperoussocieties, marked by an attitude ofexcessive preoccupation with efficiency andwhich sees the growing number of elderlyand disabled people as intolerable and tooburdensome. These people are very oftenisolated by their families and by society,which are organized almost exclusively on
the basis of criteria of productive efficiency,according to which a hopelessly impaired
life no longer has any value.
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Morality ofEuthanasia
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Morality ofEuthanasia
If (1) mans life possesses dignity
in itself and (2) life is a gift from
ourCreator, then Euthanasia is
immoral.
It is immoral because it is
equivalent to murder or suicide,
and both murder and suicide are
immoral.
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Evangelium Vitae, n. 65
For a correct moral judgment on
euthanasia, in the first place a
clear definition is required.
Euthanasia in the strict sense is
understood to be an action or
omission which of itself and by
intention causes death, with thepurpose of eliminating all
suffering.
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Evangelium Vitae, n. 65
Euthanasia must be distinguished
from the decision to forego so-called
"aggressive medical treatment", in
other words, medical procedureswhich no longer correspond to the
real situation of the patient, either
because they are by now
disproportionate to any expectedresults or because they impose an
excessive burden on the patient and
his family.
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Evangelium Vitae, n. 65
it is not right to deprive the
dying person of consciousness
without a serious reason: as they
approach death people ought to
be able to satisfy their moral and
family duties, and above all they
ought to be able to prepare in afully conscious way for their
definitive meeting with God.